Official: William WILL snub Russia’s World Cup as spy row rages
PRINCE William will not attend this summer’s football World Cup in Russia, royal sources confirmed.
The UK’s attendance at the tournament has become a political issue after the poisoning of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia, 33.
As president of the Football Association, William would be expected to have some contact with the England team during the World Cup in June and July. He has attended previous tournaments, as has his brother Prince Harry.
But his involvement may now be limited to a good luck phone call to manager Gareth Southgate and the squad. The source said ‘there are no plans’ for William to attend the event.
Theresa May said the Government would ‘look at whether ministers and other dignitaries should attend’.
Her comments at Prime Minister’s Questions yesterday came after Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson told MPs it would be ‘very difficult to imagine UK representation’ at the World Cup could ‘go ahead in the normal way’.
Despite the row over the poisonings, the FA expects to fly out a full roster of top officials to the tournament. Chief executive Martin Glenn, chairman Greg Clarke and a handful of other FA delegates, who were already planning to go to Russia, are still set to fulfil their ambassadorial duties by attending.
There will only be a change to the FA’s plans if there is drastic change that could leave staff and employees at risk.
Mr Johnson caused a furore on Tuesday by intimating England could boycott the World Cup in retaliation for Russia’s suspected poisoning of the Skripals on British soil. He later withdrew the remarks.
Kensington Palace declined to comment. But a source told the Daily Mail that William’s absence was planned long before this week’s poisoning incident.
It would always have been extremely difficult to send such a senior royal to Russia in the current diplomatic climate, the source added.